Declan had maxed out on coffee to make the trip home, but Noelle took advantage and rested her head against the half-open window and the old jacket that still laid on the rear seat. She closed her eyes from more than tiredness; she now had a conundrum of magnificent proportions. It was evident her mom and dad’s memory would be back in full swinging order. Declan would be the devil incarnated, in their eyes, and they would be pissed, to say the least. Angry that Noelle had chosen to be with him —a werewolf.

Noelle’s eyes flickered behind her eyelids that sat behind her sunglasses. There was no getting away from it. Noelle was the daughter of a wealthy family who were top of the tree in the hunter stakes. Noelle knew as much as Declan did, and they’d be gunning for him and the others, especially once her dad had time to come up with a plan.

Noelle didn’t care about her dad’s plan, Declan had his own, and Noelle was entirely on board. She wasn’t going to leave Declan; no way, not now. They'd both been through too much and come out the other side and remained together. What better basis for a relationship to flourish. Noelle being left for dead in a forest, and Declan losing his alpha status and then miraculously getting it back.

Noelle's mind stopped thinking of the now and the future. It flicked back to how she'd been trained. Countless days of being whacked with canes made from reeds. It had been like unprotected kendo. She’d become good at that, well she’d had to. The canes had hurt a lot and the bruises made her look like a strange, blackberry-quinoa pudding.

Noelle found the shooting easy. A werewolf wasn’t much different to a rabbit, apart from the size. Get one in the spotlights, and see its blood-red, fear-filled eyes sparkle in candle-powered spotlight —and then just squeeze the trigger. A second or two later, and there would be a spray of blood and a slumped body just waiting to be burned. Anyone could do that, it was pretty easy.

Noelle’s mind went back to the close-combat training, this was the real test of a hunter, and one she’d excelled at. Up close with a werewolf snapping at your face and your neck. Keep your composure and come out on top. That was the aim of the game, and it hadn’t been very often that Noelle failed. She was still alive to think about it, after all.

Noelle relished the challenge. Both in training, and while out on a hunt. A lot of the hunters wore gauntlets to protect them from the razor-sharp teeth of the wolves. Noelle found them too restrictive. She'd cut off the glove part and just had her forearms protected. Then she'd felt free, free to move and feel the wolf in her grasp. She could sense what it was going to do as she clenched her fingers deep into its fur. She could also reach for her knife —and not just any knife, Noelle had one custom made. An old, Japanese, Samurai, sword maker had been drafted in to make her a special one. The same type of blade, but shorter, and a black as midnight non-slip grip. Not rubber, neoprene, or any other man-made substance. It had been made of real leather that was stitched in a silver braid. It had been custom made and had fit her hand like a glove.

Noelle had the good sense to have more than one made. That one now sat on her lap as Declan made his way back to the Towers. They were almost there, yet Noelle had no way of knowing this because she'd fallen into a deep sleep. Waking at three, and listening to her parents had been tiring. That was enough to make anyone get up and leave the vicinity, as soon as it was appropriate.

Declan hit the curb as he pulled into the Towers’ parking lot. He'd done it on purpose just to wake Noelle from her slumber. He glanced up the steps and could see Maria and Dustin. Declan wanted to speak to them and now would be as good a time as any. Any later, and they’d be wrapped up in preparations for the war that would now ensue —sooner rather than later.

“Catchin’ the early morning sun, huh?” Declan strode up the steps, two at a time.

“It’s the best time to catch a bit of nature before the air fills with fumes and the sidewalks fill up with meals on heels, oops, I mean people,” Dustin replied.

Noelle walked behind Declan. A deadly weapon gripped tightly in one hand, and a bag (just as deadly) in the other. She walked and sat on the bench next to Maria, and offered her the bag. Maria started to open it as Noelle mentioned something that stopped Maria from slipping her hand inside.

“It’s full of silver,” Noelle said.

“Geez, a little more warning wouldn’t go amiss,” Maria replied, in a deeper tone.

Declan stood in front of Dustin and Maria, and half-blocked the early morning sun that just started to rise above the far buildings. “I could do to speak to you in private when you’re ready, in the office, is that okay?” he asked. He leaned to the side and Dustin squinted from the beam of sunlight that was in his eyes.

“We are ready now, we’ve been here mulling over a few things already,” Maria said. “Now we have this.” She held the bag up shaking it.

“I’ll be up to the apartment in ten minutes if you want to go up Noelle?” Declan added. Noelle nodded and walked through the apartment doors. She knew she had no reason to be jealous, this time. Dustin was there.

Declan walked ahead, followed by Dustin and Maria. Declan could hear Dustin breathing much better, and he couldn't hear any rasping from Dustin's lungs. Fighting might be a little out of his reach, yet he could be a good advisor. And, if he stationed himself in Declan’s old house, he could see down into the clearing. In the forest where they would plan for their fight.

Declan slumped in his chair. The old springs squeaked as he leaned back. The mark on the wall where the leather had rubbed from countless times before got that little bit darker. He sighed, feeling exhausted.

“What do you want to speak about?” Dustin asked.

“I need advice,” he replied.

“What do you need advice on?”

“Noelle,” was what Declan responded with. “If she was to become my mate. Well, what do you think would happen?”

Declan's knuckles rested against the cool wall behind him as he leaned his head back. He half-guessed what the reply would be, yet he wanted confirmation, rather than advice.

“Well, you know I don’t mind,” Maria said. “It’s the pack though, as I mentioned before. The older tenants might accept it, yet the newer ones, I think they’d be up in arms over the suggestion.”

Dustin nodded. “Maria’s right. Times are changing, things aren’t as they used to be. Noelle is; let’s not forget, a hybrid, so it isn’t as if she’s fully human,” Dustin explained. “I think you’ll have to lay it down to the pack, they can like it or lump it. That’s my honest opinion. I like the kid. I think she has a lot to offer now she’s seen both sides.”

“Just what I thought you’d both say. There is one other thing, though.” Declan rested on his desk. “Noelle’s parents. They’ll be at the front of the hunter's attack. I can’t have them killed, no matter what they do.”

“We can make that happen, we’ll disarm them and get them out of the way, somehow,” Maria said. “Is there anything else?”

“Yeah. Tip that bag on the desk and touch something.”

Maria tipped the contents of the bag onto Declan's desk. Maria breathed heavily as she held her index finger close to the silver trinkets that spread out before her.

“How long before I pull my finger away?” she asked.

Declan furrowed his brow as he turned his gaze to Dustin who had done the same. “I think you have two options. First is, if your finger starts smoking,” Declan replied.

“What’s the second?”

“If it starts to fucken hurt!”

* * *

Gabriel laid with his hands flat on the floor as Tanya sat on his back. He pushed, and his muscles rippled as he did his fifteenth push-up. Sweat poured from his brow because the motel room air conditioner had gone on the fritz. The motel manager would have to get his ass over and fix it, or give them another room. The room might be cheap, but it definitely wasn’t cheerful. Tanya’s half-naked body weighed Gabriel back to the floor. Only five more and his exercise would be done for the day.

Tanya sat and looked at her nails as she chewed on gum. Gabriel could hear her lips smack together as she chewed loudly. “Can ya keep your mouth closed as you chew? It’s bad manners you know,” he said as he did number seventeen.

“When have you ever seen a wolf keep their mouth closed when they chew, huh? Answer me that,” Tanya remarked. She was happy with her reply. She started to chew silently. It was bad manners, and she knew it, but how was she supposed to dry the nail polish if her mouth was closed?

“Twenty,” Gabriel said, and his body slumped to the floor for the last time. Tanya stepped from Gabriel's broad back, but not without running her caressing fingers over the taut skin which covered his bulging muscles.

Gabriel stood and wiped his face on the towel. He walked to the motel room door and pulled it open. Fresh air would’ve rushed in, had it not been for the fact that it was a damn-site warmer outside, than inside.

“I’m gonna go and speak to the manager, this is unbearable,” he said as he swapped his towel for a t-shirt and pants.

Tanya sat on the edge of the bed as Gabriel walked from the room. She'd started to paint her toenails as she heard a knock at the door. “Yeah, who is it?” she yelled.

Cissy pushed open the door. “Can I have a quick word with you? I’ve been nominated,” she said. “It’s about Gabriel.”

“Come on in, he’ll be gone a while, our air conditioning unit has decided to break. He’s gone to speak to the manager.”

Cissy pulled up a chair from the table and rested her forearms on the back. Her half-interested body (sort of) faced toward Tanya. “Well, we listened to what Gab had to say about being human, and stuff. The thing is, is he ever gonna be an alpha again?”

Tanya screwed the top back on the nail polish bottle. The fumes started to disperse as she replied. “I’d like to think so. I’m not totally sure, but if Declan could do it, I’m sure there’s a way.”

“It’s just that, um, you know how a pack is, we need to look up to someone, someone who has the power to lead us and to take care of us,” Cissy said, with a nervousness that was clearly visible.

Tanya stood, then she smiled and walked toward Cissy. She placed her hand on her shoulder and gave a squeeze that comforted her. “Tell the others, I’m alpha-mate material. They can look up to me. I won’t lead them astray. Just don’t tell Gab, he has his pride. Even if it is human pride. He wants this just as much as we all do.”

“I did tell the others you’d step up to the mark,” Cissy replied. “I think they should be happy with that. I don’t want to go, and I don’t want to see any others walk out, either. We can’t go back to the Towers, and if we aren’t here, where the hell else can we go?”

“You’ve got a point. It’s easy to say goodbye and walk out like David did with the others. Right now, I bet they regret it, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they wound up dead.”

“Don’t say that. You shouldn’t wish that on any wolf,” Cissy said as she stood up from the table.

Tanya smirked but not in a humorous way. “I’m not wishing it. David was hot-headed and will lead himself into a pile of shit.”

“Let’s hope not. If he meets up with the hunters, it means they are gonna strike soon, and if they hit the Towers and wipe them out, oh, I can’t even go there. How the hell can small pockets like us hold out against them?” Cissy was concerned, her body trembled with the thoughts of it all.

“I’d say the bike club could be our saving grace, but even they came back with a few wounded —not to mention the guy who fried in front of us,” Tanya remarked.

“I know we have nothing to do with Declan, but he’s the one who can end all of this,” Cissy said, as she walked closer to the open door.

“I know that, and you know that,” Tanya replied. “I just don’t know if Declan knows it yet, though.”

“I hope he realizes soon. You know the hunters when they start, they are relentless.” Cissy had a a tear in her eye. She had lost close friends to the hunters already.

“That’s something else not to mention to Gab, he won’t be pleased to have his nose rubbed in it,” Tanya said as she stepped toward the door.

“What shouldn’t be mentioned to me?” Gabriel asked. He stepped up behind the two girls.

“Nah! It’s nothing. Women’s talk that’s all,” Tanya said. “What about the air conditioning?”

“The manager will call his repair guy. He tried to talk himself out of it. But I dragged him half over the counter, and he changed his mind as he tapped out —by ringing the bell a few times.”

“Hey Gab, you might be human, but you still have a mean streak inside you,” Tanya replied, with a broad smile.

“Damn right. I’m no pussy,” he said.

Tanya giggled. “Meow! Meow!”

“Unless you puke, faint or die, keep going.”